Day Nineteen and Twenty: That's a Wrap!

Sadly, my time in Deutschland is over and I am back in the ever wonderful United States of America. I know that I love Germany, but it is so good to be home. I never thought I would be so happy to hear an airport worker say "welcome home" to me as I was having my passport checked. January the 1st was excellent I must say. We had dinner at another traditional German restaurant, supper at the hotel again, and spent a good portion of the day packing and then with my great-grandmother. It was sad to say goodbye, but I was ready to be home.

Yesterday started early. I mean early. My mom was up at 0430, I was up at 0450, and my Oma was up at 0500. It was crazy busy, because my cousin's husband was coming to pick us up at 0600. It was a whirlwind morning, because when we went to sleep the day before my suitcase was still not all the way packed and locked shut. We threw in the shower bag, opened the gusset so my coat would fit, and zipped it shut and made sure it was underweight just in time for the knock on the door to come early. Needless to say we were halfway to our on-ramp when my mom and I realized our freshly toasted brotchens were still on the stove (the oven wasn't on, but our bread was in fact left behind). Of course, I managed to remember the gigantic water bottle.

We made it to Frankfurt in amazing time, giving us a whole extra hour to get through security and to our gate. Now, German security is much different from American security now. The Germans do not have the new machines where it goes whoosh and they either have to pat down the masses that show up on your body or you're free to go. Oh no. Not at all. The Germans have a metal detector and agents carrying wands. My mom and Oma beeped and had to be wanded and patted down and it was just uncomfortable to watch; I can't imagine how it was for them. To my great surprise, I didn't beep at all and was waved through to collect my carry-on bags. This was, of course, after having gone through

1. Bag drop with Delta where we were asked security questions
2. Boarding Pass Control
3. Passport Control

And then, after we were through main security, we had to go through another checkpoint at our gate. We had to show our boarding passes and passports again. It was strange because the gates are all cut off from the main area where you can buy things to eat and drink and souvenirs. To get out and back in (even just to take a bathroom break) you had to show your boarding pass and passport. Serious business I say.

By the time we got to our gate, we only had to wait about a half an hour for boarding to begin. We waited and waited and finally were in our seats with our bags stowed in the appropriate places. We were among the first in our zone to board, so obviously we had to wait a while before we pushed back. However, I did not realize that we were actually delayed by about four minutes thanks to a few passengers being late to the gate. I don't fault them however, because of the fact that I watched so many people get pulled away for further searching at security.

This flight took 10 hours(ish). Again it's weird trying to keep track of time when there's so little to do. I watched three and a half movies and that still only got me to where we were four hours out. I took another hour and a half nap, then stayed awake the rest of the time listening to music. I have to say, my favorite parts of the flight were landing, and flying over Greenland. The sky was so clear over Greenland that it seemed as though you could reach out and down and touch the ice and snow covered mountains. Of course this is irrational as we were 36k feet in the air. Here's how clear the sky was: we were able to see a boat in the water on the coast from our windows.

Here's a little something that nobody except me paid attention to: we were flying due south into a 200 mph head wind. Then, we turned in the sky to the southeast and had a tailwind of 200 mph. This completely changed the arc on the map, so my mom didn't believe me when I said we flew over the Great Lakes. We were supposed to come straight(ish) down from Michigan to Ohio to Georgia. I know I'm leaving out states but those were the big ones I remember. We ended up coming over Kentucky and Tennessee before turning to the south again to get us to Georgia and start making our approach. I don't think I've ever been so happy to hear a pilot say, "We are beginning our final approach into Atlanta. Please remain seated with your seat belt fastened for the remainder of our flight". I was a happy girl.

Something interesting about our flight: we had a fantastic pilot. There was a cold front moving over Atlanta when we were making our descent and he warned us that it would be a bit bumpy. But, we only bumped around a bit between 12k and 11k feet and all was well. I was not excited to be landing because I was scared, but because I was excited to get through passport control, baggage claim, customs, and to see my dad. I missed him a lot. I told my mom on our last day in Heidelberg, "I love it here and don't really want to leave, but I miss my dad". It made my day yesterday to come through customs and out into the arrivals gate and see him there. Random: I felt like Harry Potter trying to get all of his things to Platform 9 3/4 on the trolley luggage cart because I was wheeling four suitcases and two carry-on bags. That cart did not handle short, sudden stops to say the least.

Anyway, I got the first hug from dad (hooray!) and let him take over pushing the cart, as it was hea-vy. We made our way to the car, and I must say I don't think I've ever been so happy to see my mom's car, like, ever. We got out of the airport, out of Atlanta, and into another city. Don't ask me to remember the name, because all I know is it had a barbecue restaurant and I had ribs and I was so happy for American food. We then finished our five and a half hour drive (thanks traffic, that swell of you to add an hour) and got home. My cat Bellatrix met us at the door. That was a bittersweet moment because my dog Luna passed while we were in Germany. However, I was happy to be home no matter what.

This was an awesome experience, one I want to have again one day, Of course, next time I'll be able to pitch in and help pay for an American hotel. I want to do more international travel. My passport has two stamps in it, and I want more. There's so many places I'd like to visit! I want to visit the UK for sure, and hopefully Salzburg in Austria the next time I go to Germany. So many places to see! What's more, before my current passport expires, I will have the letters MD permanently affixed to my name. It's odd to think about, but it makes me super excited. This means that I might be able to do some more traveling post grad before I have to renew this thing.

Not sure if I'm going to keep up with this blog outside of travel, but perhaps I'll talk about the adventures I have. I know I'm going to have some unrelated to travel as I prepare for high school graduation. Maybe I'll make a campus visit to my top choices to see if any of them pull ahead in the rankings behind Hopkins, but that remains to be seen. Until next time,
Cheers!

Day Eighteen: Goodbye, 2013

Well, well, well. Look what's here! The new year! Well, almost that is. I currently have about forty minutes left in 2013 and I couldn't be more excited if I tried. Well, I suppose a cup of coffee could have a bit of an effect, but I suppose it's just a bit late for all of that. Plus, I don't have a way to make any. Moving along!

We were originally going to go to the palace for fireworks, but we decided we would rather stay where it's warm and just have our own little celebration. We've got cookies, chocolate, and marzipan goodies for good luck in the new year. My personal favorites are the mushrooms, but I have a good luck piggy too.

These little guys are meant to bring luck in the new year. There is also one that the confectioneries make that is a chimney sweep on a domino, but I forgot about that one...oops. We also have these little guys, chocolate hedgehogs! 

It's a good thing I know the German word (Igel) because the chocolatier did not speak a lick of English! However, she was very patient with us. Here's a look at what it looks like when confectioneries make the little pigs. 

Truly, 2013 has been a wonderful year, and 2014 promises to hold bigger and better things. I will graduate high school, turn 18, and start college! Where I go remains to be seen, but I won't worry too much about that until letters start coming in again. Here's to a new year filled with adventure, good times, laughter, and all the good luck in the world! 

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Day Sixteen and Seventeen: Adventure Awaits You, Pt. 2

Adventure comes from all sides I say. Then sometimes you need a break from it. Day sixteen was all about rest and relaxation and a break from the adventure that kept coming. Oma went off doing things while mom and I stayed home. We had to buy provisions for Sunday, seeing as how the entire country shut down. Again. This happens every Sunday, every holiday, every time the country just decides to shut down. SO! We went off, we bought food, and we came back home. You know what happened next? We took a nap. It was glorious. Then we went to the main building for dinner and went home. We had a very empty, very welcome, day of rest.

Then the nonstop madness began again.

Day seventeen of this  journey started early, with my Oma running out of the house at around 8am (this is somewhat reasonable, considering it was 0630 when we left for Nuremberg) to make breakfast for her mom. Of course, her getting ready woke the whole place up and mom and I were awake getting ready soon after she left.

You wouldn't believe how long it took us to figure out what to do.

We spent a week going back and forth between taking a train to Worms, the bus to Speyer, and the streetcar to Heidelberg. We picked Heidelberg, as it's our favorite city and we just didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked there. My mom and I also didn't make it up to the Schloss when we went to Heidelberg with Markus. So what did we do? We took a train up to the castle. That's right, a train. A train that was engineered specifically to carry people up the side of a mountain.

 If you think it looks like it's a long way up, you would be correct. The train wasn't so much built like train, but more of an engine-pulled elevator. It was quite interesting to say the least. It was super quick to get up there this way! A few tunnels, and we were there. We did a bit of wandering and saw some super neat stuff!

I maintain, Heidelberg is one of my favorite places in Germany. I mean, look!

 This city is beautiful! Anyway, we went around to the front of the castle that truly looks down on the city. I don't have a picture of it this time around, but if you look up form the walkway you can see golden gargoyle heads suspended at what I can only describe as disguised gutters. This may seem odd, but it served a defensive purpose. In times of distress, those who defended the Schloss used these to pour hot oil all over the hostiles. I apologize for my use of the word "hostiles", but that would be a result of my five years of translating Latin. Anyway, we made our way down the mountain and to the old bridge, just in time to see fireworks going off on either side of the castle. It was pretty cool, considering it was a bit unexpected.

We went home, had brotchens for dinner and went to sleep. Oma and I had an early morning to prep for. My New Year's Eve post will be up shortly.
Cheers!

Day Fourteen and Fifteen: Adventure Awaits You, Pt. 1

Where do I even begin to describe how amazing these past few days have been? I mean there's no way for me to possibly explain it in simple terms. But I can, however, share what I experienced and maybe you can feel the magic that I did too.

On day fourteen, 27 December, we did some essential things. The first is going off to Mannheim to a store called Poco in the industrial sector to look for curtains. Say what you will, the Germans know how to make beautiful curtains. My mom and Oma managed to find the most beautiful drapes; I hope one day when I have a home of my own I'll be able to come back to Germany if for no other reason than to get drapes for my home. After the curtain escapade, we went to Kirchheim to pay our respects to my great-grandfather, may he rest in peace.

We were originally going to go visit a family friend, but that didn't work out. Instead, we were dropped back off at our hotel and left to our own devices. We decided since the sun was shining and it wasn't bitterly cold it would be a good day to finally visit the Schloss Garten in Schwetzingen. 

It's an exceptionally large garden for the palace here, fashioned after Versailles. There are many, many, many statues (almost all of which are currently covered to protect them from the winter). There is everything from a mosque to a temple to Apollo in the gardens. 

There is also mine and my mom's favorite place, the End of the World. 

I maintain, it wasn't bitterly cold. Take note of the hoodie I'm wearing instead of my usual coat or lighter jacket. 

We wandered a bit more, but of course at 4:30 in the afternoon the gardens are closing and the sun is starting the set. Fun fact: the sun doesn't get up very high in the sky at all during the winter. I didn't realize we were so far north because of the severe lack of snow (and overwhelming abundance of rain). Little did I know, we are not at the highest elevation. We are surrounded by mountains, and the ones that enclose the little (okay not little but you get the point) valley we are in are blocking the snow at the present moment. Come January and February, this certainly won't be the case, but we won't be here then obviously. 

Anyway, the weather was getting colder and my mom and I were freezing. So,we went for hot chocolate and cake before going back to the hotel. 

The next day, we were finally ready for a real adventure. My uncle had arranged for my mom and me to go top Heidelberg, sans Oma, and go all over the place with our own chauffeur cousin. We started out bright and early (not really). Our first stop was the main street that contains many interesting little shops that sell everything from cuckoo clocks to steins to formal dresses. Of course, that's not what we were there for. We were there for a day of history, architecture, and marveling. 

We had lunch at an interesting little joint, finally having something besides pork and mushrooms in sauce; it's actually really good but it was time for a change. I suppose that because we were Americans, the waiter was of a nice enough mind and mood to put (three) ice cubes in my drink. It was fantastic finally having an ice cold Fanta, even though it was chilly outside. 

Afterwards, we went over to the old church, looked around, lit a candle for our flight home on Thursday (thoughts/prayers/etc. are much appreciated thank you), and went on down to the old bridge. We got to see the monkey statue, before going out over the river. At each of the little lookouts, couples have locked locks together, leaving them on the bridge and tossing the keys away. 

After this, we made our way back to the car (after buying a new suitcase, but that's another story for another day when I tell people I travel with that their bags are either too small or they have packed entirely too much to go away with) and went on our next adventure. 

This one was not for the faint of heart.

Nor was it for the shy. 

Or the cowardly. 

We were off to the Thingstatte. This was an amphitheatre, built by Hitler into the side of the mountain. It was on the same hill as an old monastery and a Roman temple to the god Mercury. Before we managed to happen upon the Thingstatte, we found the remains of the monastery. 

I climbed all the way to the top of that tower. One does not simply get all the way back down before getting dizzy and thinking the tight spiral staircase is never going to end. Then, we trekked up the rest of the way up the mountain to the Thingstatte. 

We went in the back way, the way the leaders would have entered way back when. Me being me of course wandered out onto the stage, then all the way up to where the people coming to listen to propaganda would have come. Needless to say, it was a long way up. 

It was raining steadily, and once I was all the way at the top the wind was ridiculously strong and I had to close the umbrella I had :( But, it was worth it. 

Our adventure continued as we drove back home in the dark and the rain (eesh) and finally got back to my Oma who had spent the day with her mom and brother. We went to the main building for dinner, and called it a night. 

Part two of our four days of adventure to come soon. 

Cheers!

Day Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen: CHRISTMAS EVE FIRST HOLIDAY SECOND HOLIDAY OH MY

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Christmas was faaaantastic! Over in Germany, Christmas lasts two and a half days! *insert loud cheering here* Anywho, again, this is a shorter post because, well, it's very late (as in this post is a few days late) and it's just not as exciting as my entry about day fourteen and fifteen's activities.

In Germany, Christmas Eve is the day where presents are given and a smaller meal is eaten. Families enjoy dinner together, and once it is dark the Christ Child brings the gifts and they are exchanged. Until recently (and for all I know parents may still do this) trees were not purchased or put up until Christmas Eve while children were sent out the play. They weren't allowed to see the tree or presents until after supper and nightfall. This year, my uncle did in fact put up a tree. It was quite small, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

On First Holiday (December 25th) families gather for a day of dining and just enjoying being together, something that I definitely like about the German Christmas. Usually, it's not about the gifts so much as just being together and celebrating. We went back over to my uncle's, where I got to see my aunt Sofie, Markus, Carmen and meet Vivian, her son. It was wonderful!

On Second Holiday, we spent the morning doing a bit of relaxing, we went to breakfast, and then we came back to get ready to go to Tatjana's house again. That was awesome, as it always when we get to see her. We got to hold her pet dragon, Babel! She was so sweet! She didn't puff up, and when we tried to give her back to her parents she attempted to crawl up my Oma's arms. Silly dragon.

I seriously considered kidnapping Babel and taking her back to the USA. Just kidding, but seriously she was a sweetie.

Anyway, we had a wonderful dinner, spent a little more time with her, and made our way back home. More on days fourteen and fifteen. The adventure begins....
Cheers!

Day Six and Seven: Cars, Trains, Buses, and... Streetcars?

First off, sorry for not updating yesterday but we spent all day on the go and had to get to bed early because of an early birdie wake up call today. We'll get to that.

Let's start with yesterday's adventures! We started the day off at a somewhat reasonable hour, around 7, and managed to make it out the door by 8. After the way we flew in, ate breakfast, and left in a hair brained frenzy it was nice to actually have some time to do the European thing and actually enjoy some time talking and eating and relaxing. We went off to grab lunch for my great-grandmother and picked up some special dessert to share. My Oma even got a piece of this delicious cake called Schwarzwaelderkirschtorte. It's Black Forest Cake! It's amazing. 

While we were out, this little thing happened. This thing where the sky gets dark and water starts falling from the heavens. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it started raining. It got exceedingly uncomfortable so I got myself an umbrella. It's a super nice one, designer brand, and a proper mushroom shaped umbrella. And it's clear. I love it so much! It's perfect. Once we finished our lunch and cleaned up, we were off to the bus station to get to Heidelberg. My mom won a bet while were there about which bus went where when. 

Once we were on the bus, we got lost a bit in our minds just taking in the sights, as it has been years since any of us have seen them. One of the more important/interesting to us is the Rauthaus (courthouse) where my Oma and Opa got married. 

We finally made it to the streetcar line that we would take into the city a few minutes later. We disembarked at the end of the line after much fooling around, and got our first look. 

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the food. We walked a little ways down the street after I bought a new, lighter jacket for the warmer (haha) weather. It's just so much easier to wear a light jacket in the forty-something weather than the large coat I brought with me. When we got to the first market, I bought myself dinner. Of course, I shared. It was delicious. Then, I remembered to take a look up and around. What did I see? The Heidelberg Schloss looming  over the city. 

Also here, in this square itself, if the University of Heidelberg. If I knew how to apply, and knew enough German to go to school here, I so would. They have an excellent medical school and a top notch undergraduate education. However, I will in fact be going to school in the states. To make up for this, I dream of one day spending much time at the Heidelberg University Hospital as a surgeon teaching techniques to doctors there. That's the dream, now I have to make it happen. 

Here's a picture of the market where I found the most perfect things ever:

After some time spent finding the absolute perfect Christmas gifts for a very important person and myself, we made our way back to Schwetzingen. Might I add it got extremely cold (to us) after the rain came and went? Well it did. Before we walked back to our hotel, we meandered down the street and went to Schwetzingen's Christmas market. We also went inside the gates of the Schwetzingen schloss. We'll be going back to the palace, but after Christmas. 

Finally, we meandered back home, had a snack, talked to the people back home, and went to sleep as early as we could because we had an early wake up call. 

TODAY! Today was the day to end all days! We got to make an amazing, marvelous, eye-opening trip to Nuremberg, the home of Lebkuchen. This isn't all it is known for obviously, but it's what I know it for. Our day started at 0445 and is not quite over yet, as I am still awake writing this. We made our way to the Bahnhoff to catch a train to Mannheim, so that we could make our connection with the IC bus to Nuremberg. This was an awesome way to travel, as it was comfortable, fast, and stress-free. When we got there three hours later, the architecture nerd in me was weeping was internally weeping with joy. 

Today I got my wish to go somewhere and just marvel at something. I got to do that all day long. We walked into the Old Town, the original city where the castle is up on a hill surrounded by buildings and walls at the edge of that particular part of town. Of course, it has caught up with the times as there are many shops, restaurants and things of that nature all throughout. The big thing is that very few cars are allowed in this area. We stopped for lunch at an authentic German restaurant and had actual weiner schnitzel, not that Bavarian crap. Real schnitzel is made with veal, not pork thank you very much. We did the actual European thing again today and spent two hours at lunch. It was fantastic, especially since we got to sit by a window facing the market. There was also this amazing bridge that just made my jaw drop for whatever reason. 

As we were wandering, we happened upon three churches. However, church just doesn't seem to be enough to describe these holy architectural masterpieces. There was St. Lawrence's, which was built in 1250: 

The Church of Our Lady, built in the 1500's:

And last, but most certainly not least, St. Sebald's Church. This church's construction began in 1225. If this was not a chronological post, I would tell this story first. This church was practically destroyed in World War II when the Allied powers took Nuremberg. 

Today it stands as it did when it was reconstructed after the war, in all its glory. 

After a day of marveling, we found our way back to the Bahnhoff to catch our bus back to Mannheim. The bus that took us to Nuremberg was basically a regular charter bus just with super nice interior, but the one that took us back to Mannheim was a double decker bus, complete with a first class bottom floor. We caught a train back to Schwetzingen, grabbed some provisions for dinner, and headed home. Now, we are sleeping in a bit before seeing my mom's cousin tomorrow. Until tomorrow, 

Cheers!